OK. I have to give a little love to the most neglected of our three sports and my childhood passion. Did anybody watch the National Championships this weekend? Phellps won his 50th National Championship. Sure he's probably the #2 story behind Ryan Lochte who was just destroying people (and I loved his "I'll make your Bedrock" shirt with a picture of Barney Rubble) but come on folks.................50 NATIONAL CHAMPIONISHIPS????? I'll wager that's better than ANY statistic that can be thrown out for any other Swimmer/Cyclist/Runner in history.
Also, for those watching, how about that line-up for the 200M Back. Lochte/Piersol/Phellps/Grievers/Clary all in the same freaking finals race. I imagine it was quite a thrill for the ladies. There is no sport that "cuts up" a man more perfectly than swimming. I try to remember that when I don't want to do my swim training. :)
I bet 90% of the folks on this site didn't even know this was going on. Of course, if Lance dropped a deuce it would be all over Trifuel. I guess it's because our version of swimming doesn't even look simular to U.S. Swimming AND to be fair I didn't see any post about Bolt loosing to Gay last week either.
Swimmers are wierd folks......no doubt but if you want some PED free (now-a-days) stud endurance athletes that you can look up to, look no further. I'm sure some d-bag will bring up that Phellps was seen smoking pot. Piss off. Between 15-25, boys make some stupid mistakes. It's amazing our species has survived. Fortunately for US, we don't have a camera plastered in our face or else most of us wouldn't have got off much easier. I say be crazy in your youth (in moderation) and don't regret any of it because you won't get that chance ever again.
Back to initial rant that I've made several times. I imagine when they were creating IRONMAN and pondering which athletes are greater (Swimmers/Cyclist/Runners) the swimmer representative must have been the most introverted person in the room by a wide margin. I mean come on, 2+ miles is half an average workout for the competitive 14 year old girl EVERYDAY. A Marathon and Century+ is a ton and I doubt many "die hards" do either individually in a single normal training day.
Let's start a revolution my swimming brethren. We'll call it TITANIUMMAN. The running and cycling stays the same but we add 4 more miles to the swim. Too many folks can finish IRONMANs now-a-days. Let's make the swimming relevant. It'd make for a LONG DAY but would weed out alot more folks and bring back the elite feel of the brand.
If you think I'm 100% serious about this...........you're a knucklehead. Just venting.
Amphibious Triton wrote:I
[quote=Amphibious Triton]I bet 90% of the folks on this site didn't even know this was going on . . . add 4 more miles to the swim. Too many folks can finish IRONMANs now-a-days. [/quote]
Was that even on TV?
Kidding. It came on right after Ironman Kona coverage and I watched the whole thing! It was riveting! I paid for the whole couch but I only needed the edge! It was better than Cats! Sorry, I watched one heat thinga-ma-bob and said, "Meh, wonder what's on my DVR?" I did think, "Wow, they'll do 100m in the same time it takes me to do 50m."
But to your second point, I'd love to see them double the swim distance in an Ironman. But leave the swim cut-off at 2:20. Really, do you need 2:20 to swim 2.4miles/3.8k? One of these days when I get really bored I'm going to determine the DNF rate of everyone who finishes the swim in over two hours and I bet it's ridiculoulsy high. Fine, add a mile or two to the swim. I'm no bad-ass but it's obvious with "only" a 2.4mile swim that it is possible to doggy paddle it in 2:20, pedal hard enough to make the bike cut-off then soft pedal the rest, and walk 26.2 and poof! "You're an Ironman."
They should do endurance
They should do endurance swimming. 200m doesn't cut it for us trifueler :D Just kidding ^^ Besides, you don't hear Lance winning crit races.
TriSooner wrote:One of these
[quote=TriSooner]One of these days when I get really bored I'm going to determine the DNF rate of everyone who finishes the swim in over two hours and I bet it's ridiculoulsy high. [/quote]
Couldn't stand it. Had to answer my own question. Lame.
So I arbitrarily chose Ironman Florida, last year, because we all know that's the "easy" Ironman. Found out that even if you come out of the water between 2:00 and 2:20, there's a [u]100% DNF rate[/u] at the end of the day. (If you come in under 2hrs, there's a 3% DNF rate). So? I bet that would hold true (nearly) across all races. If your swim pace is that slow, odds are your bike and run will be too (or you can't make up the time and miss the cutoff). What's my point? I have no clue. Other than to say that Amphibious Triton is right - people don't really respect the swim and show up at Ironman and try to fake it because it's "so short."
I love watching swimming
I love watching swimming competitions. I would MUCH rather watch swimming than cycling or running on TV. It just blows my mind how fast and smooth they all are. I caught some of it on Universal Sports in the evenings the past couple days. There is little sexier than watching one of those guys do butterfly
TriSooner wrote:TriSooner
[quote=TriSooner][quote=TriSooner]One of these days when I get really bored I'm going to determine the DNF rate of everyone who finishes the swim in over two hours and I bet it's ridiculoulsy high. [/quote]
Couldn't stand it. Had to answer my own question. Lame.
So I arbitrarily chose Ironman Florida, last year, because we all know that's the "easy" Ironman. Found out that even if you come out of the water between 2:00 and 2:20, there's a [u]100% DNF rate[/u] at the end of the day. (If you come in under 2hrs, there's a 3% DNF rate). So? I bet that would hold true (nearly) across all races. If your swim pace is that slow, odds are your bike and run will be too (or you can't make up the time and miss the cutoff). What's my point? I have no clue. Other than to say that Amphibious Triton is right - people don't really respect the swim and show up at Ironman and try to fake it because it's "so short."
[/quote]
That's really interesting. Although I wonder if in "harder" swims, like when the chop was abnormally high, or in rivers when swimming upstream, and "good" swimmers struggled, if that would change...I, fortunately, am not curious enough to look at all results from all possible races.
i had no idea that was on 50
i had no idea that was on
50 national championships?
the dude is only 25...so, how many of them a year are there?
[size=8]i know, i know...multiple disciplines. the word "championship" is an odd one for single events that last fewer than 10 minutes[/size]
I suppose you are partial to
I suppose you are partial to swimming because of your amphibious-ness.
I watched a little swimming this weekend, but I don't really know who is who aside from Phelps. I love watching it and appreciating the speed knowing they can swim a 100 breast stroke quicker than I can swim 50 free. Watching swimming is better than doing it in my book. I also saw Bolt lose to Gay and you are right, that deserved a thread. He didn't look very "bolty".
I watched every single
I watched every single finals heat from the meet this week, as I had a lot of friends swimming in it. Here is a web site with some reviews from the meet and videos of some of the key races http://www.swimnetwork.com/News/Swimming/Blogs/Mike-Gustafson/2010/08/Mo...
Swimnetwork.com also showed the meet live, which is how I watched it. It's cool to see Universal Sports taking an interest in swimming. It seems everyone "loves" swimming every 4 years at the Olympics but other than that no one pays attention. Even every 4 years when interest spikes it seems the only name you hear is Phelps. The Washington Post article was titled "Lochte upsets Phelps", what a joke, it was the 200 Backstroke. Aaron Piersol is the world record holder and defending gold medalist, he finished second, Phelps was 4th. Anyway, big shout out to my boy Eric Shanteau (if you trifuelers dont know his story check it out http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eric_Shanteau ) who won the 200 breast.
+1 on the shoutout to Eric
+1 on the shoutout to Eric Shanteau- he graduated high school with me. He's a super nice guy in addition to everything he's been through/accomplished.
I once saw Phelps set a
I once saw Phelps set a world record (200 fly). it was the most amazing sporting event I'd ever seen live. he made the pool/water seem so, well, insignificant. i swam for 7 years and I still feel like i'm fighting the water. it looked like he was just using the water to go faster.
++1 to Shanteau. I was a
++1 to Shanteau. I was a Breaststroker (in the pool, you dirty boys and jtrimom) so I've always loved those guys. I think the Kitajima vs. Hansen races were the best competition for about 4 years.
TriSooner wrote:Really, do
[quote=TriSooner]Really, do you need 2:20 to swim 2.4miles/3.8k? [/quote]
I had no idea the cutoff was that slow. That's rediculous. By my calculations, that's 3mins 21secs per 100 yds (yes yards. I'm american and mostly swam indoors). I have no clue HOW to swim that slow..........even on a kickboard with one of those ACME anvils the Coyotte always had when trying to get the Roadrunner. Insane.
I was watching Kona before too and was feeling sorry for the "cancer survivor" that missed the cut by 7 secs. I still feel sorry for him but not for the inability to continue.
Maybe you're on to something with cutting the time. I GUESS you could make an argument that it would be a safer route. I can't profess much knowledge since I'm only about halfway in my 3 year plan for IRONMAN but if I'm gonna put so much time into a long term goal I don't want to end up with a Masters Degree from the University of Phoenix (if you get my analogy).
TriAu wrote: The Washington
[quote=TriAu] The Washington Post article was titled "Lochte upsets Phelps", what a joke, it was the 200 Backstroke. Aaron Piersol is the world record holder and defending gold medalist, he finished second, Phelps was 4th. [/quote]
I know what you mean. Piersol, really, has been dominate longer than Phelps but it just happens to be at one stroke. Even if they were talking about Lochte beating Phelps in the IM, I don't consider that a rediculous upset. I think Lochte has been the second best swimmer in the world for a LONG time........and only marginally so. He gets about 1% of the airtime though. The only BIG upset at this time of year would be if Phellps lost 200M Fly.
I should have watched it on Swimnetwork. The 3 letter stations have such terrible segways and commentation. They've milked Rowdy Gaines like 50 year old Dutch cow. Move on. PLUS they skipped the Men's 50 Free (just a little blurb on the results). How could you possibly do that? It's the most anticipated of all races. Could you imagine not showing the 100M in a Track meet? Crazy. Usually they advertise like crazy around the 50 Free. Such dopes.
Anyway, good to talk to other ex-swimmers still watching.
That's interesting data
That's interesting data TriSooner, but in hindsight not surprising. I'd expect a pretty high correlation between swim times and finish times at the high end; i.e. more than 2:00 swim = DNF, 1:50-2:00 = 16 hour finish and high DNF, etc. Probably starts to normalize at a swim pace in the 1:20-1:30 range.
Not that I think the swim is that important, but probably does indicate those who "did the work" and those just getting by.
Slight thread jack, but on a group ride this morning there was a guy who is doing the Branson HIM in a few weeks, and has done one sprint tri previously. He heard from another guy that I've done a few distance events and so he pedaled up and asked if I had any advice for a HIM. Nice open-ended question that can't be answered, right?
So I said to go slow, and asked what his nutrition plan was. He said he'd been eating a lot of pasta lately. I clarified that I meant what he planned to do during the race, and he said he planned to eat a sandwich between the bike and the run. I wished him luck.
swimmers are sporting heroes
swimmers are sporting heroes in my book. i have read phelps book and the guy is a freak. but then so is thorpe, perkins, hackett etc etc. phelps once gave an interview where he talked about being able to give swimming the same profile in the states as it has in australia. when our swimming trials are on it is is prime time tv. and everyone watches. i can recall specific events and races. best swimming moment is a tough one but all time personal favorite was perkins winning 1500m gold from lane 8 at atlanta. he only just made the final by his fingernails. i must admit the mens 100m 4x4 at sydney was SWEET !!!!
forgot to mention - loved it
forgot to mention - loved it when phelps swam without the fast suit at the last worlds and won anyway. that is class.
Amphibious Triton wrote:I
[quote=Amphibious Triton]I mean come on, 2+ miles is half an average workout for the competitive 14 year old girl EVERYDAY.[/quote]
Just in case someone thinks you are exaggerating...
A few months ago I did a 5k swim race. There was also an option to do a 10k. 2nd place overall for the 10k was a 15 year old girl. However, she was not there to get her award because she had to leave for a swim meet later that day. My wife and I looked at each other when the guy giving awards said that. Seriously? Guess so.
jenez_world wrote:i must
[quote=jenez_world]i must admit the mens 100m 4x4 at sydney was SWEET !!!![/quote]
That's a great event to watch. It's up there with a 4 x 400 at a track meet. I can entertain myself by watching random high school kids run a 4 x 400 at pennrelays.com for flotrack.com.
That's just weird. I need help. Train more, watch less!
they skipped the 50 because
they skipped the 50 because the US has no notable sprinters. No Fred, Ceaser, or George (all Auburn Alumni) try to tell me Adrian belongs in that breath and I'll slap you in the head. It's like being a US fan come world cup time, we just can't compete (sadly though they all do their training in the states).
jenez_world wrote:swimmers
[quote=jenez_world]swimmers are sporting heroes in my book. i have read phelps book and the guy is a freak. but then so is thorpe, perkins, hackett etc etc. phelps once gave an interview where he talked about being able to give swimming the same profile in the states as it has in australia. when our swimming trials are on it is is prime time tv. and everyone watches. i can recall specific events and races. best swimming moment is a tough one but all time personal favorite was perkins winning 1500m gold from lane 8 at atlanta. he only just made the final by his fingernails. i must admit the mens 100m 4x4 at sydney was SWEET !!!![/quote]
Wow. An Australian brings up the "Thorpedo". Big surprise. I'm totally joking. He was a complete stud but cocky. I was never a Hackett fan. Don't know why.
TriAu wrote:they skipped the
[quote=TriAu]they skipped the 50 because the US has no notable sprinters. No Fred, Ceaser, or George (all Auburn Alumni) try to tell me Adrian belongs in that breath and I'll slap you in the head. It's like being a US fan come world cup time, we just can't compete (sadly though they all do their training in the states).[/quote]
That makes a little more sense BUT still, the 50 with a bunch of duds is still fun to watch. I think Adrian should get in the finals in the 50/100. He'll be in an outside lane but he's gotten faster since last year. I think he was 3rd alternate (or something like that) on the relay last year.
I wonder what happened to our sprinters. I almost could have gotten into the consolation heat. That was nowhere near true several years ago. Two MAC guys got in the finals which is cool since they were in my conference growing up. I guess it's still a studly program in Charlotte.
ditto on not being a hackett
ditto on not being a hackett fan. the guy can swim but i think when he first started out he had to compete with perkins (now i am a big fan of perkins) and then thorpie came from nowhere and beat grant in races that he thought had his name written on. his ego didnt take it well and he gave some bad interviews. and it kinda came back and bit him when he didnt watch the dude in lane 8 and he lost his third gold. so if i cant name thorpie can i take it off track and mention eamon sullivan ? he is not only hot :) but a west aussie and has amazing power to weight ratio. shame he cant stay injury free. the usa v. aust competition is excellent to watch but we do miss gary hall jnr :).
Wow. The Aussies do love
Wow. The Aussies do love their swimming. Good girl. :) You can have Sullivan. I'm not as much a track buff but I've seen him before. He's pretty good from what I can tell.
Gary Hall. Ha. He was definately a showman. That did make if fun. I was more into the Biondi vs. Popov (Russian) even earlier. Those were fun times.
popov was a beautiful
popov was a beautiful swimmer and i am not just talking the physical. wonderful stroke and so relaxed. yes i love swimming :).
Just woken up having a cup
Just woken up having a cup off tea and quick check of trifuel before I swim. Perfect.
robmathews66 wrote:Just
[quote=robmathews66]Just woken up having a cup off tea and quick check of trifuel before I swim. Perfect.[/quote]
Dear god man. Either the time stamp is wrong or you're up at 1am EST to swim??? That's pretty cool..........or crazy..........one of the two.
he's in the uk
he's in the uk
OK...so 6am. That's not all
OK...so 6am. That's not all that early. I'll stop talking now.
The give away is obviously
The give away is obviously the tea, or riding my bike on the wrong side of the road.
so who is watching the pan
so who is watching the pan pacs or do they not count ? we are getting a good solid 2.5 hours coverage per day. you are so right - there is no sport that "cuts up" a man more perfectly than swimming and for some reason i think it has gone to another level :). the aussies are young but hanging in there. shame that rice and sullivan are not in their best form. is it just me or do all these swimmers look like they are gliding along with no effort ?
TriAu wrote:they skipped the
[quote=TriAu]they skipped the 50 because the US has no notable sprinters. No Fred, Ceaser, or George (all Auburn Alumni) try to tell me Adrian belongs in that breath and I'll slap you in the head. It's like being a US fan come world cup time, we just can't compete (sadly though they all do their training in the states).[/quote]
EAT YOUR WORDS TRIAU. Yo Adrian.
Amphibious Triton
[quote=Amphibious Triton][quote=TriAu]they skipped the 50 because the US has no notable sprinters. No Fred, Ceaser, or George (all Auburn Alumni) try to tell me Adrian belongs in that breath and I'll slap you in the head. It's like being a US fan come world cup time, we just can't compete (sadly though they all do their training in the states).[/quote]
EAT YOUR WORDS TRIAU. Yo Adrian.[/quote]
hahahahaahaha!! how long have you been holding onto THAT?!!
I got a good memory. :) Hope
I got a good memory. :) Hope you're doing good jtrimom.
AT! Good to see you still
AT! Good to see you still (flutter) kicking. What's up on your schedule these days?
I actually quit my job and
I actually quit my job and moved cities. Living away from the family during the week and commuting during the weekend, for the last 6 months. We finally just sold our house and will be back together again soon.
It has been havoc on my training. I'm pretty much just a swimmer right now. Triathlon is a "settled" person's sport since it takes such dedication. Hope to get some run races in this fall and then get back into it in the spring. Still haven't shaken the addiction and my bike keeps giving me puppy eyes each time I pass it.